Mali defence minister killed in al Qaeda‑linked attack near Bamako, RFI reports

Mali Defence Minister Sadio Camara was ⁠killed in an attack by ‌al Qaeda-linked group ​JNIM on his residence at the Kati military base outside Bamako on Saturday, France's RFI radio reported on Sunday.

Attacks continued on Sunday, a day ​after an al ⁠Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels carried out one of the largest coordinated attacks in the country in recent years, as gunfire rang out ⁠in ‌a garrison town near Mali's capital, a Reuters witness said.

The United Nations called ‌for an international response to violence and terrorism in ⁠the West Africa Sahel region following Saturday's large-scale assaults.

"The Secretary-General is deeply ‌concerned by reports of attacks in ‌several locations across Mali. He strongly condemns these ‌acts of violence," a UN spokesperson ‌posted on X.

An al Qaeda affiliate and Tuareg rebels claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks around the ⁠capital, Bamako, ⁠in gold-producing areas and elsewhere across Mali, in one of the boldest operations insurgents have mounted in their campaign against the military-led government.

The final toll of deaths and injuries remained unclear on Sunday, as did the fate of ​the contested city of Kidal, which the insurgents ​claimed to have ​recaptured from government forces in the assault.